Cape firefighters get a break
2005-12-27 11:03
Cape Town - Western Cape fire-fighters were enjoying a welcome breather on Tuesday after a long weekend spent battling fires which claimed the life of a child, razed property and scorched large swathes of vegetation.
"At this stage, everything is under control," said disaster management spokesperson John Brown.
Brown said hotspots on Table Mountain and Blouberg Koppie near Melkbosstrand were being monitored, with the possibility of strong winds fanning smouldering debris a constant danger.
"In Gordon's Bay, where the fire moved down from the mountain, a rubbish dump is burning. Bulldozers will move in later to flatten the ground."
Brown said that, besides the death of the four-year-old child in a fire which destroyed about 60 shacks in Khayelitsha, a firefighter was receiving treatment after a burning log fell on to his shoulder.
Brown appealed to the public for heightened awareness of fires in the tinder-dry region, saying people should make sure braais were put out safely and cigarette stubs not tossed out of car windows.
- SAPA